The Art of 'Gaman': Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor all ethnic Japanese living on the West Coast, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens born on American soil, were rounded up and herded into remote inland concentration camps. Allowed to bring only what they could carry, the internees sought solace in art, seeing it as a way to “gaman (bear the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” The resourceful range of their creations speaks to the triumph of the human spirit in the midst of despair and reveals the innate artistic talent of everyone from laborers, fishermen, and shopkeepers as well as renowned artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Neil Fujita, Ruth Asawa, and George Nakashima – all imprisoned in the camps. 

Historic New England invites you to join Delphine Hirasuna, author of The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946. The book chronicles how those incarcerated by the U.S. war department turned to using scraps and found materials to make objects of function and artistry.

This is an online program. A link for the program will be included in the order confirmation.

Admissions: $0-25